Masters (MA) in School Counseling

Masters in School Counseling (MA degree)

Approved by Oregon Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) and accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP)

Purpose

The MA in School Counseling program is designed for men and women who desire graduate study and preparation for the school counseling profession.

Student Learning Outcomes

Graduates will:

Demonstrate and articulate an identity as professional school counselors that blends the roles of mental health professional and educational leader

Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive developmental school counseling program that aligns with the American School Counseling Association’s National Model and advances the mission of the school

Demonstrate skills as educational leaders who can effectively advocate with multicultural sensitivity for all students’ holistic well-being at individual and systemic levels

Demonstrate how to individually and in collaboration with teachers develop and teach engaging guidance-related curriculum that facilitates students’ personal/social, academic and career development

Demonstrate the awareness, knowledge, and skills to effectively work with all students, K-12, to advance their college and/or career readiness

Effectively consult and collaborate with parents and guardians, teachers, administrators, and other school and community members

Demonstrate reflective and ethical decision making grounded in the knowledge of relevant legal and ethical codes as well as in an examination of personal values

Effectively work with data and technology to advocate for all students, to evaluate and improve program effectiveness, and to advocate for the school counseling profession

Demonstrate the College of Education Conceptual Framework to Think Critically, Transform Practice, and Promote Justice

Articulate how personal faith informs one’s identity and practice as a professional school counselor

Admission Requirements

Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution. A cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or above is required. The undergraduate degree does not have to be in the field of psychology.

Transfer Credit

Transfer of up to 19 hours credit is allowed toward the MA in School Counseling program from accredited graduate schools. Students must have earned a grade of B or better for a course to be considered for transfer. In addition, only courses taken elsewhere within 10 years of the date of matriculation to the MA in School Counseling program will be considered for transfer. Transferability of credits earned at this institution and transferred to another is at the discretion of the receiving institution. Consult the registrar's office for information on eligibility of transfer credit.

Residence Requirements

Of the 63 hours required for the MA in School Counseling program (57 for Track I students), a minimum of 44 hours (38 for Track I students) must be taken in resident study at George Fox University. All work leading to the degree must be completed within seven years from the time of matriculation. Extension of this limit requires approval of the Graduate School of Counseling (GDC) Faculty. However, only one such extension may be considered due to special circumstances, such as ill health. Reinstatement to the program after withdrawal requires Admissions Committee action and may subject the student to additional requirements for the program. A leave of absence is valid for up to one year after which the student must reapply to the program.

Course Requirements

The MA in School Counseling program is generally 2-5 years in length, depending on a student's schedule, with 63 semester hours of course work (57 for Track I students) required as a minimum for graduation. Of those hours, 3 are in spiritual integration coursework, 28 in core counseling courses, 26 in prescribed school counseling core courses (20 for Track I students), and 6 clinical internship credits.

Each student must complete the program requirements based on the following verification of teaching license and prerequisite licensed teaching experience:

Track I is for those students who hold a teaching license and can verify two years of full-time or four years of part-time licensed teaching experience.

Track II is for those students who do not hold a teaching license or cannot verify two years of full-time or four years of part-time licensed teaching experience.

Other Degree Requirements

Each student must complete a minimum of 20 hours of personal counseling/therapy as part of the MA in School Counseling program. Additionally, an ongoing review process serves as a way to assess the student's fit for the program; fit for the profession; emotional, psychological, and intellectual ability; as well as maturity level for functioning safely as a mental health professional. Graduate School of Counseling faculty will review students each fall and spring semester. Students must pass the ORELA Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment Examination , and in the final year must pass the ORELA School Counselor Examination. For more specific information please refer to the student handbook.

Graduation Requirements

In order to complete the MA in School Counseling program students must:

Satisfactorily complete a minimum of 57 semester hours (63 for Track II students) with a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above

Achieve no grade lower than a B in all courses. If a grade of a B- or lower is received in a required course, that course must be retaken (for more specific information, please refer to the student handbook)

Complete a minimum of 20 one-hour sessions of personal therapy—individual, couples, and/or group (no more than 10 sessions may be in group therapy)—with a licensed therapist

(Track II only) Complete a minimum of 200 supervised hours in a teaching practicum, including a minimum of 75 clock hours of full responsibility for teaching and classroom management

Complete a minimum of 600 supervised internship hours, of which at least 240 hours must be direct client contact hours

Successfully complete the Clinical Portfolio (reading fees are assessed during the final semester of clinical internship), in which the student articulates his/her current understanding of school counseling and applies the same through an analysis of his/her counseling practice, an evaluation of his/her strengths, and a three-year professional development plan

Curriculum Plan

Spiritual Integration (3 hours)

GCEP 561 Spirituality and Clinical Praxis

3

Counseling Core (28 hours)

GCEP 500 Introduction to Couple and Family Therapy

3

GCEP 501 Principles and Techniques of Counseling

3

GCEP 502 Clinical Practicum

3

GCEP 510 Human Growth and Development

3

GCEP 520 Personality and Counseling Theory

3

GCEP 550 Group Theory and Therapy

3

GCEP 554 Addictions

2

GCEP 566 Research Methods and Statistics

2

GCEP 567 Cultural Foundations and Social Justice

3

GCEP 571 Tests and Assessments

2

GCEP 587 Interpersonal Neurobiology and Pharmacology

1

School Counseling Core (20 hours/26 for Track II students)

GCEP 503 Risk and Resilience in Youth

3

GCEP 504 Child and Adolescent Disorders

3

GCEP 505 Foundations in School Counseling

3

GCEP 509 Lifestyle and Career Development

3

GCEP 511 Ethical and Legal Issues

3

GCEP 515 Treatment Planning I

1

GCEP 518 Treatment Planning II

1

GCEP 519 School Counseling Portfolio

1

GCEP 568 Action Research Designs I

1

GCEP 569 Action Research Designs II

1

Track II (6 hours)

GCEP 506 Classroom Teaching and Learning

3

GCEP 507 Teaching Practicum

3

Clinical Internship (6 hours)

Students must take the following internship courses:

GCEP 516 School Counseling Internship I

3

GCEP 517 School Counseling Internship II

3

Notes:

Internship requires a minimum of 600 clock hours of supervised school counseling experience in a public or approved private school per TSPC guidelines.

The teaching practicum for school counseling must be supervised and consist of a minimum of 200 clock hours in a regular classroom in a public or approved private school per TSPC guidelines. It must include a minimum of 75 clock hours of full responsibility for teaching and classroom management.

In addition to fulfilling the above course requirements, school counseling students in the master's program who seek the Initial School Counseling License will be asked to submit passing scores on the following assessments: